This song, in the mold of the last couple, conjures up Mexico, mentioning Acapulco by name. But, actually, this is a Greek version of a Mexican song, most famously, perhaps, done by Julio Iglasias.
Spanish version -- Julio Iglasias
Greek Version -- Three Guitars (Τριο Κιτάρα)
Μαρία Μπονίτα(1951)
Μουσική: Lara Augustin
Στίχοι: Μενεστρέλ Πωλ
Θυμήσου στο Ακαπούλκο τα όμορφα βράδια
Μαρία Μπονίτα γεμάτα χάδια
Θυμήσου πάνω στην άμμο που μούχαν τάξει
χρυσά παλάτια τα δυο σου μάτια
|
|
|
|
|
Θυμήσου τα κυματάκια που αγκαλιάζαν
με παιχνιδάκια το θείο κορμί σου
Στα μάτια εγώ σε κοιτούσα και μέσα από τη ψυχή
μου
να 'σαι δική μου, πως λαχταρούσα
|
|
|
| Τρις
worship
------ Μετάφρασης ------
Remember the beautiful nights
Maria Bonita, filled with caresses
Remember on the sand that that glance moved
gold palaces, your two eyes
Remember the waves which embraced
playfully your divine body
My eyes saw and my soul longed to
make your my own, how I worship you
I've been toying with this idea for a while: to walk through the last 50 years or so of Greek songs, chronologically, providing Greek lyrics, spot definitions of difficult words, a complete English translation, and links to where they can be found on the Internet. I've compiled a list of about 400 songs that I'd like to do and my last couple of posts have been working on the format for it.
I think it's something that would be fun and particular worthwhile for language learners. Who hasn't had the experience of have a song in their head that they couldn't get rid of? Imagine if that song were Greek. Those words suddenly become part of you. You understand what they mean at a gut leave.
The Greek is particularly well suited to this style of learning because Greek vowels are pure they are sung as they are pronounced. So, once you've learned to sing along to a song, you've learned to say the lyrics with perfect pronunciation. In addition Geek is by nature a lyrical language, there is not as much difference between the language of poetry and the language of prose in Greek as there is in other languages. That's why the two Noble prizes for literature won by Greeks have gone to poets, and even Greeks greatest prose writer, Kazantzakis, thought of himself as poet first and novelist second. In dead nearly all of Greece's best writers are poets.
So, hopefully you will find reading this as useful and entertaining I do writing it.
In the tradition of (proto) Exotica we have The Three Guitars (Τριο Κιτάρα) crooning about the wonders of Hawaii. One might be tempted to ask why a country with the highest island to citizen ratio in the world, and which is indeed indeed the summer vacation destination of all Europe, would have popular songs about a time consuming and expensive to reach (especially in the 50s from Greece) island. But perhaps such is the artistic license that we must give all songs. But, maybe the second line gives the clue:
πάντα σ' αυτές την ομορφιά κυνηγώ .
It is the sea faring, adventurous spirit of the Greek people who have never been satisfied with just the Aegean, but even in ancient times sailed and colonized as far afield as Gaul and North Africa.
Ακρογιαλιές ονειρευτές νοσταλγώ
πάντα σ' αυτές την ομορφιά κυνηγώ
μόνο εκεί μπορεί η αγάπη και ζει
μόνο εκεί αν θέλεις πάμε μαζί
όλα κει τ' ακούς να τραγουδούν
σαν τα χαρούμενα πουλιά στη σιγαλιά
Σε μαγικά νησιά θέλω να βρεθούμε
εκεί που οι καρδιές ξέρουν ν' αγαπούνε
μακριά θέλω να βρεθούμε στη Χαβάη
μακριά σ' όλη τη ζωή μας εγώ κι εσύ
Στη γαλανή βραδιά τ' άστρα που γελούνε
κιθάρες μαγικές να μας τραγουδούνε
εκεί στ' όμορφο νησί μας θέλω να βρεθούμε
μαζί σ' όλη τη ζωή μας εγώ κι εσύ
Στη γαλανή βραδιά τ' άστρα που γελούνε
κιθάρες μαγικές να μας τραγουδούνε
εκεί στ' όμορφο νησί μας θέλω να βρεθούμε
μαζί σ' όλη τη ζωή μας εγώ κι εσύ
------ Μετάφρασης ------
I long for dreamy beaches
I've always hunted for such beauty
Only there love can live
Only there I want us to go together
Everywhere there you hear songs
like happy whistling birds
On the magic isle, I want to be found
There where hearts know how to love
Far away I want to be found in Hawaii
Far from our everyday life, you and me
In the deep blue, the stars laugh
Magical guitars sing to us
There on our beautiful isle I want to be found
Far from our everyday life, you and me
On the magic isle, I want to be found
There where hearts know how to love
Far away I want to be found in Hawaii
Far from our everyday life, you and me
Θέλω ρούμπα να χορεύω
με το νου να ταξιδεύω
και να πάω σ’ άλλα μέρη
σε μια χώρα εξωτική
Να φορέσω ένα σομπρέρο
να με κυβερνά ο έρως
να 'μαι φίνος καμπαλέρος
κάπου στην Αμερική
sombrero
fine
Α για για για, Α για για για
με μαράκες και ξυλάκια
πάνε κάτω της ημέρας τα φαρμάκια
και μια ρούμπα που χορεύω
γίνετ’ όνειρο για μένα η ζωή
Α για για για, Α για για για
ρούμπα α τσίκι, τσίκι ρούμπα
μ’ αρέσει να χορεύω και να γλεντώ
ωωω ωωω
------ Translation ------
I want to dance the Rumba
Which takes me to another place
To another exotic foreign land
To wear a sombrero
Where I'm a fine camballero
Somewhere in America
ay ay ay ay, ay ay ay ay
With the marakas and claves
The drug goes down and
Life becomes a dream to me
Rumba a tsiki tsiki rumba
I like to dance and be happy.
